We're Caught In The Current Of Anti-Social Media

Getty Images

Getty Images

MAGGIE MAHONEY

Put down social media and come up for human contact

In the minutes after teachers stop their lessons for the day, in the seconds before the bell rings, the strangest phenomenon occurs. In classes filled with more than 20 students, everyone is silent. No one looks up. Eyes are glued to screens.

I have observed this occurrence far too often; it leaves me uneasy every time.

Being a teenager, I am acutely aware of how society perceives our generation. We are labeled "lazy," "technology-obsessed" and "spoiled." Although I know these generalizations are often untrue (I have many incredibly intelligent peers), we appear tuned out or apathetic to other people. I can't say I blame them. We do look lazy, spoiled and obsessed with our technology and, in today's world, how you look is closely associated with who you are.

We may not want to hear it, but we teenagers need to realize that what we consider to be connections aren't real relationships. We have completely lost touch with what it means to communicate.

We find dates on Tinder.

We "talk" through text.

We Snapchat and scroll and like and follow and post and tweet.

All the while, we are looking down and ignoring the people, places and things that surround us.

I miss the "old-fashioned" virtues — like calling someone when you want to talk to them, even just to hear their voice; or paying attention to the person in front of you when they talk, rather than looking at your phone; and hanging out with friends without making it known by Instagramming a photo.

But it's addictive.

Social media draw us in. After all, it is fun to catch glimpses of other people's worlds. Various social media accounts reveal to us who is friends with whom, what parties people are attending and what fun is being had, allowing us to feel like we know what our peers are up to.

We fall to the peer pressure because we want to feel like we belong. Our social media accounts create the impression of having hundreds of "friends," when in reality many are no more than strangers. Few of these friends are people we would spend time with, talk to, or confide in.

Social networks teach us to form shallow and face-value connections.

They tell us quantity is better than quality.

They make us feel popular, when in fact, we are alone.

It's dangerous living this way. It is easier to converse with someone through technology, but technology distorts people's personalities. We lose context, emotion and intention through text. People say things digitally that they would never say in person.

Although technology is prevalent in society, social skills such as talking to people face-to-face are much more important. Our gadgets are depriving us of our ability to communicate. Slowly, perniciously, we are becoming more introverted, removing ourselves from reality by creating digital worlds.

It's hard for me to watch.

I am guilty of many of these indiscretions. Having an iPhone, it is hard not to become attached. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check my Instagram and Facebook and Snapchat. The last thing I do at night is watch Netflix and scroll through each account. I fall asleep to the soft glow of an illuminated screen. I am aware. I see these tendencies within myself, but I feel powerless to stop them.

When I was younger, I was the last to have all forms of technology. I did not get a phone until ninth grade.

Now, I am grateful for what was embarrassing at the time. In my years without these types of devices, I stayed in touch only with the people I really cared about and I knew cared about me.

Technology can obscure the truth about friendships. I wish people would see that. It's not healthy to be dependent on a fantasy, enslaved by digital fabrications.

Maggie Mahoney, 16, is an incoming senior at Hall High School in West Hartford.